Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its deep sorrow at the death, on 12 September 2020, of the Honourable John Joseph Fahey AC, former Minister for Finance and Administration and former Member for Macarthur, places on record its gratitude for his service to the Parliament and the nation, and tenders its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.

Humble, courageous, principled, honourable, selfless, a good bloke, an optimist, a man of integrity—those are just some of the words that have been used to describe John Fahey since his sad passing earlier, in September. He was all of that and more: a man whose common decency shone through, making him someone admired and liked on both sides of politics. John leaves behind a profound legacy. He gave almost two decades of dedicated public service to the people of Australia, first as a member of the New South Wales state parliament, where he was a minister and then Premier of New South Wales. He then came to Canberra, where he served as Australia's Minister for Finance. As Premier, he helped to deliver major reforms for New South Wales and he helped to secure the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Then, in the federal parliament, as Minister for Finance, he helped to repair Australia's finances in the mid to late 1990s.

John was born on 10 January 1945 in Wellington, New Zealand, to Irish immigrants, Stephen and Annie Fahey, who left Ireland in the late 1930s to create a better life for themselves and their children—or the children that they hoped to have at that point. At age 10, John's family emigrated to Australia and settled in Picton, New South Wales. He completed his high school education at Chevalier College in Bowral and then went on to complete a Diploma of Law at The University of Sydney. At 23, John married Colleen McGurren and they had three children: Melanie, Matthew and Tiffany.

John was an avid lover of sport and was very passionate about rugby league. He was a Canterbury-Bankstown man through and through, who played reserve grade for the Bulldogs and held a number of administrative positions at the grassroots level. Upon graduating from university, John practised as a solicitor and eventually as a senior partner in his own firm. His first exposure to politics was during the 1972 federal election, where John found himself a supporter of the member for Macarthur, Jeff Bates, who was running as an Independent.

John came from a family of strong Labor supporters. His father and sister even handed out Labor how-to-vote cards at that 1972 federal election. But it was what he referred to as the 'extravagances' of the Whitlam government, because of those, that he decided to jump off the fence and join the Liberal Party. In his first speech to the federal parliament, John attributed his parents' teachings and his upbringing as to why he chose to join the Liberal Party. I'm quoting from his first speech now:

They also taught me to think for myself and that is why I am a member of the Liberal Party. I have never voted Labor, as some scribes have written. The Liberal Party stands for all Australians, not any vested interest group such as the unions, and it supports reward for effort. Nothing is more Australian.

Almost a decade later, John decided to run in the 1984 New South Wales state election, contesting and winning the seat of Camden. Four years later he ran as the Liberal candidate for the newly created seat of Southern Highlands, winning it in the same year that Nick Greiner led the New South Wales Liberals back into power. Under Nick Greiner as Premier, John served as Minister for Industrial Relations and later as Minister for Further Education, Training and Employment. However, four years later Greiner would step down as Premier and John was elected as the new New South Wales party leader. John was loyal to Greiner until the end, and it is a measure of his character that he would go on to describe the day Greiner resigned and he became Premier as the saddest day of his life.

Although his time as Premier was short lived, he led a major overhaul of the industrial relations system, introduced the Disability Services Act, the New South Wales Seniors Card and appointed the state's first Minister for the Status of Women. I should pause here to say that Senator Marise Payne, who had a very close and warm relationship with John Fahey, and who is overseas on official ministerial business, has asked me to mention her deep regard and association with the remarks that I'm making on behalf of the government.

John played a key role in Sydney's successful bid to host the 2000 Olympic Games, a huge victory for the state and our nation. John had the privilege of being in Monaco in September 1993, when Sydney was announced as the winning bid by the International Olympic Committee president at the time, Juan Antonio Samaranch. The vision of him leaping to his feet and joyously embracing the bid boss Rod McGeoch is one of the famous moments in our nation's history and one John will always be remembered for.

John will also be remembered for his brave actions on Australia Day 1994, when he helped tackle a student who fired two rounds from a starting pistol in the direction of Prince Charles, who was about to deliver a speech. Vision of the then Premier jumping to the defence of the visiting Prince of Wales was shown all around the world. He, like others there that day, had no idea if a real gun was involved when he made the instant decision to act. It was pointed out at the time that some of his old rugby league skills had been on display. I believe the biggest thing on display that day was his character and his courage. A year later, the Fahey government would lose the 1995 state election despite winning 51.2 per cent of the two-party preferred statewide vote.

While this was a hard time for the party, John was looking ahead, and in 1996 he resigned from the New South Wales parliament to contest the federal election as the Liberal candidate for Macarthur. John was successful, winning the seat from Labor, as were the Liberals, with John Howard leading the party to victory. He was appointed as Minister for Finance in the first Howard ministry, a position he would hold until his retirement in 2001. At John's state funeral last month, Mr Howard said he had no hesitation in appointing John Minister for Finance. As Mr Howard said, 'How could you pass over somebody who had been the premier of the largest state in the Commonwealth for a senior portfolio?' And John relished the task. Mr Howard said that, as finance minister, John fixed a steady gaze on any minister that had big spending pretensions.

John is Australia's third-longest-serving finance minister and in that role accomplished a number of significant reforms and achievements in that portfolio. He initiated and pursued a number of asset sales, big and small, including the initial partial sale of Telstra and the sale of Sydney and Canberra airports. Considered the greatest sale in Australian history, the sale of the first third of Telstra raised $14 billion. John also presided over the sale of the second third of Telstra, which raised over $6 billion. Australians benefited tremendously from the improved services those sales facilitated and from the proceeds of those sales, which were reinvested for future generations.

In 2000, John played an important role in the federal government's acquisition of the remaining 51.55 per cent equity in the Australian Submarine Corporation. Today the ASC plays a crucial role as part of our naval shipbuilding, repair and maintenance industry. ASC's turnaround in performance in relation to submarine sustainment demonstrates the significant progress this business has made in both experience and capability. In partnership with Peter Costello as Treasurer, they introduced the Charter of Budget Honesty, a key recommendation that arose from the 1996 National Commission of Audit. The charter introduced a number of innovations to fiscal reporting and strategy, creating more transparency in the Commonwealth budget process.

They also delivered the first accrual based budget in May 1999, which represented a major development in public sector financial management and reporting. The adoption of accrual reporting facilitated better planning and decision-making as well as providing a means with which to assess financial resilience.

One of the things John was most proud of during his time as Minister for Finance was the fiscal discipline of the Howard government. Fahey and Costello, a formidable team, set out to reset and rebuild the federal budget, setting the foundations for what would be a run of four consecutive budget surpluses. The forward trajectory of the budget settings secured under his stewardship as Minister for Finance ultimately led to paying off all government net debt and building a positive net asset position for the Commonwealth within five years. Budget repair is never easy, and John was central to returning sound, disciplined economic and fiscal management to Australia for the benefit of all Australians.

In announcing his retirement, John said:

The simple fact of the matter is that the fiscal responsibility of recent times has without the slightest doubt given Australia a far better future than it could ever have hoped to have had.

He was correct. When the Howard government left office in 2007, the strong fiscal management undertaken by John and his successor in the portfolio, our good friend and valued former colleague Nick Minchin, stood Australia in very good stead when it faced the global economic headwinds in the context of the global financial crisis.

In 2001, after battling ill health, John made the decision to retire from politics. His battle with lung cancer and near miss with death didn't halt his work ethic and his commitment to the people of Australia. During his valedictory speech he acknowledged that there were still many things that he wanted to do. He wanted to continue giving to the community and he intended to continue working. He reflected that few have the opportunity to choose when they leave parliament. More often than not, it is decided by the public or our own parties. He was lucky to have that choice. Upon his retirement from political life, he served as chairman of the Bradman Foundation, director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, chairman of the Rugby League Development Board, chancellor of the Australian Catholic University and, fittingly, given his history, chairman of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority and chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

John was a devout Catholic and a man of strong faith. He originally wanted to be a bishop, but a year at a seminary in Springwood in his youth was enough to persuade him that priesthood was perhaps not his future—a decision that many of us are grateful he made. In late 2019 John was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great for his contribution to the Catholic Church.

Since the news of his passing, tributes have flooded in for John and his family. Many have reflected on his life and on his achievements. He was a mentor to many, including many of my colleagues. On assuming responsibilities for the Finance portfolio back in 2013 I was very grateful to John for his generous and wise counsel. He was a kind and generous individual. He gave more than he received. He was authentic and someone you could always rely on. In his final speech to parliament, he made sure to thank everyone in this place from his personal staff and colleagues to the House attendants, caterers and gardeners, who he thanked for creating a place of joy and comfort. That summed up the kind of man John was.

As the Prime Minister has stated, John was not your typical Liberal: a Catholic, a rugby league player and a smoker from south-west Sydney. But the Liberal Party is a broad church—something we pride ourselves on. And John broadened our outlook and made our party all the better for it. To John's wife, Colleen; his surviving children, Melanie and Matthew; and his grandchildren, Amber and Campbell: on behalf of the Australian government and the Senate, I offer our deepest condolences.